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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: track · kid · wax · temple · cap · press · race · land

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. race — the arms race
  3. track — a song
  4. press — a publisher
  5. land — to come down
  6. track — a path
  7. press — to push
  8. kid — child
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. press — newspapers
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cap — a lid
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. kid — to tease
  15. land — ground
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cap — of ice
  18. land — a country
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. cap — a hat
  21. race — a contest
  22. wax — to grow
  23. race — humankind
  24. track — to keep track

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com